How To Make Almond (Or Any Nut) Butter

June 28, 2013

I’ve been hooked on almond butter since going paleo/primal. I don’t have many snacks in my pantry. Honestly, I don’t even really have the need for a pantry. A few cans of sardines, some dark chocolate, olive and coconut oils – what else would I put in there? It’s not like I’m storing boxes of pasta, bags of flour, or cans of beans. So, when I’m feeling snacky, and I find nothing in the pantry (for some reason, I still feel the need to check, just in case…), I reach for the jar of almond butter in the fridge. I grab a spoonful, and voila – a little something something to satisfy a craving or tide me over until dinner.

And what if you don’t have any almond butter? Well, if you have almonds, you’re in luck – you can make your own. In fact, any nuts will do – making nut butter is a very straightforward process and can be made from whatever nuts you have on hand (or get creative and mix your favourite nuts). Almond and macadamia nut butters are my favourite. Though I have yet to try pistachio. Pretty much any nut is worth trying out.

As for whether you should roast or not? If you are indifferent, I’d recommend roasting. All you do is roast the nuts in the oven at 350°F on a parchment lined cookie sheet for approx. 12 minutes, stirring a couple of times so that they don’t burn. Not only does roasting the nuts provide a stronger flavor, it will also take considerably less time to turn them into butter. If you’re going for raw, you should know that it’s surprising just how much the food processor heats the nuts while turning them into butter.

Also, I like my nut butters plain, but feel free to experiment with various additions: salt, cocoa, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, vanilla, etc. Do keep in mind though that if you add anything liquid, it will considerably decrease the shelf life of the nut butter.

Ingredients:

*You can make as much or as little nut butter as you’d like, although I don’t recommend exceeding 3 cups in one go, as it does take quite a bit longer to process that large of a batch.

Preparation:

1) Place nuts in food processor.

2) Process nuts until you get nut butter, scraping down the sides frequently.

The nuts will go through several stages. First, they’ll looked like chopped nuts, then they’ll turn into a flour of sorts, then a thick, clumpy mess. Just when you’re about to give up hope, thinking that you got a “bad” batch of nuts that are butter-proof, the nuts will release their oils and your butter will turn creamy.

The length of this process depends on the amount of nuts used and whether they’re raw or roasted. A cup or so should take less than 15 minutes. Three cups of almonds took me half an hour, but they were raw, and I also let the professor rest a few times in fear of it overheating (people have killed their food processors making nut butter, which is why I recommend roasting your nuts to shorten the process).

3) Once creamy, add in any flavourings you’d like, and process just to combine.

4) Transfer the nut butter to a jar, and store in the fridge.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please remember to share it (pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc.). Thanks!

Can you use a magic bullet or does it have to be a food processor… I’ve made my own in the magic bullet but never lasted 15 minutes…I just chop up the nuts then add some water, vanilla, and almond extract….. I haven’t had the patience to let the “oils release” could I do it in the bullet?

I am making almond butter right now it looks like its almost there but its been an hour. I used to 2 cups of raw almonds in a regular food processor not a tiny one. Why is it taking so long? Every site I’ve looked at says it should take only 15 minutes.

I’m guessing it’s because your almonds are raw (not roasted) and because you’re doing 2 cups. Also, maybe there’s something weird about the almonds you bought, either too fresh or not fresh enough? Not sure. But one hour seems excessive.

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